The field of the disclosure relates generally to air filtration systems, and more specifically to air filter mounting assemblies.
Some known air intake filter systems used on gas turbine engines include a housing that houses a removable, replaceable filter cartridge. At least some known filter cartridges include an annular array of pleated paper that cooperates with a wall of the housing to define an inlet chamber, and an outlet chamber within the cartridge that communicates with a housing outlet defined in one end of the housing. Some known housings include a plurality of support legs that are coupled at one end using a bolt that extends through a hole defined in each leg. Such housings require each leg to be assembled in sequence and coupled to one another using a specially-designed carriage bolt.
Additionally, in some known systems, the filter cartridge is coupled within the housing a washer, and a filter retaining nut. Additionally in some known systems a rubber seal is coupled between the filter cartridge and the washer/nut combination to prevent contaminates from being introduced into the air intake of the engine. Moreover, in some known systems, a separate thread protector is positioned over an end of the exposed bolt threads to provide personal protection during filter change-out and maintenance operations from potentially sharp edges of the threads. However, such a system is generally time consuming to assemble because of the many individual components that may potentially be installed incorrectly, and/or dropped or lost during assembly. Furthermore, the use of a conventional washer/nut combination may also require an operator to use additional tools to assemble and tighten the filter cartridge components into place.